How a clash in the past, leads to exciting adventures in the future
by DoomPuppy86
Summary: Scarlet Alexis is a young woman who meets Zoro about a year before he meets Luffy. Stuff happens between them and they also meet again later on in the one piece story. Rated M for later chapters. English is not my native language, sorry for any mistakes. I have a pre-reader but if you see any spell/grammar mistakes please notify me! ty
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own anything from the one piece universe, I do own Scarlet Alexis though ^^ any critics welcome._

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"Hmph pathetic" a woman muttered under her breath "To think they'd put such a bounty on that guy" she sheeted one of her two katana's and sighed "_Twelve million, just what I needed" s_he grinned and picked up a large bag from the ground_ "On to the next target" _but before she even took one step she heard something. It was the faint sound of someone walking trough a forest; leaves cracking and twigs breaking. _"Crap! someone is coming" _in a flash she stuffed her two katana's in the bag, only a small part of the hilts stuck out like that. _"It is time to play the innocent redhead" s_he flung the bag over her right shoulder and walked towards the direction of the sound.

She took a deep breath to prepare for her 'damsel in distress' act. When she stepped through some trees she almost bumped into the person. She wasn't very tall so she had to look up to him, for a small moment she was surprised. It was a man; he was tall, broad and also scarred. From his skin she noticed he was outside a lot, he had a very nice and healthy tan. The feature that seemed to stand out the most was his short, moss green hair and the three katana's dangling from his waist _"Three? What the..?" _

"Oi?" the man grunted. "M-m-mister… there are bad people in this forest" her voice was trembling with fear. The green haired man took her up from top to bottom, surprised to run into a woman in these woods. She wasn't very tall; he guessed she was about 5.4 feet. She wore a knee length black coat which she kept open - so he could see the black skirt and red top she was wearing. Her hair was long and carried a warm dark red colour; it reminded him of a warm fire during a cold winter night. She looked at him with frightened, big brown eyes. "Bad people?" he asked confused. "I just saw a man who got killed" she whispered in shock. "Go" he replied sturdy. Barely able to hold in a chuckle she walked past him _"That was easy"_

The man saw blood smears on the place where she stood, he spun around towards the woman again "Wait!" he growled. He saw there was some blood on her lower leg and shoe, he also noticed the hilts of her katana's sticking out of the bag. He pulled out two of his katana's "So, you were standing next to the murder?" pointing out the blood he saw. The redhead nervously bit her lip "You had to notice huh?" she pulled out her katana's "No use in hiding these anymore" she turned around and entered a battle stance "Yup, I just murdered a pirate worth twelve million beli, what are you going to do about it?"

The man grinned "Nothing, he was my target, forget it" he sighed and sheeted his katana's again. At ease she also put away her katana's and finally gave herself some time to really look at him. _"That guy is ridiculously handsome, three katana's? Where did I hear that again?"_

All of the sudden she remembered "Green hair, three katana's, so this is the infamous Roronoa Zoro, pirate hunter?"

"And you must be… Scarlet Alexis? I've been hearing your name a lot lately. Part of The Crows right?" The Crow Pirates were a pirate crew that also worked as mercenaries to make some extra money. Alexis nodded "Yup, well it was very nice to meet you Mr Zoro" she made a mocking bow and walked away from him _"I never imagined him to be so…" _she shook her head, annoyed because he distracted her like that. _"I just need a drink" _she was a bit overwhelmed by him, apart from a few lovers she met on her trips, the only men she knew where her crewmates and they where disgusting and loud. After a while she noticed he was following her. She turned around "Why are you following me!?" Slightly amused Zoro pointed behind her "There's a village with the harbour, you know" he said matter-of-factly.

Alexis bit her lip, because he was right, and to make things worse she felt she was blushing. Ashamed she started walking towards the village, in a very fast pace. "Women" Zoro grunted.

He failed to mention her that he was following her indeed; he would have never found the way back to the village on his own. You could say that the pirate hunter's biggest weakness was his sense of direction.

After some shopping, Alexis arrived at the local bar and ordered a drink with some bread. A middle aged, slightly balding man was sitting at the bar. He looked like the kind of man who comes home drunk and gets a beating by his, probably overweighed, wife for it.

While waiting for her order he leaned in to her "ish it true what they shay about redheadsh?" he asked with a double tongue. The smell of cheap booze entered her nose which reminded her of her crewmates. She leaned into him closer, showing some of her cleavage, wet her lips and asked with a husky voice "And what do they say about redheads, hmm?" Like he got stung by a bee he jumped up from his bar stool, completely shocked by her response. He was trying to find his balance but the alcohol prevented that, he seemed to be confused which foot to use. He somehow got a hold of the bar and he stopped stumbling. Alexis grabbed her order from the bar and chuckled "how sad" the commotion entertained most of the guest. She turned her back on the scene and spotted a nice seat in the corner.

Her response and those of the guests fuelled the drunken man's anger "How dare you, bitch!" he picked up a bar stool meaning to hit Alexis in the back, but before she could even respond, someone got in between them. With a loud crack the stool crashed into the person and it broke into pieces. "Hitting a woman in the back with a bar stool?" he growled.

Alexis was stunned to see that Zoro took the beating, and even more stunned to see that the stool didn't faze him at all _"What is he? A Monster?"_ Without hesitating Zoro grabbed the man and threw him out, he landed with his face on the streets "Good riddance" the bartender stated.

Completely flabbergasted Alexis stared at the scene "_I didn't even notice he was here"_ annoyed she let het guard down like that, she dropped her order on the table she picked and sat down. It was a corner bench which was very comfy. She took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes as the liquor burned through her throat. The sound of a mug being slammed down on her table startled her. Zoro joined her on the corner bench. _"What the fuck? He's sitting next to me" _He had an annoyed expression on his face "You're welcome" he grunted.

That's the second time today she was ashamed because of him "I could've handled it perfectly myself, but if your ego craves for it so badly I'll thank you" she sneered at him. She hoped her sneer would annoy him enough to go away but he stayed and enjoyed his drink like they did this everyday. "For someone who just killed a twelve million Beli pirate, you let your guard down pretty quick" he noticed he hit a sore spot because she bit her lip. She knew she let her guard down and she was already bummed out by it, the last thing she needed was this guy pointing it out. She suppressed her anger by gulping down the rest of her drink. Deciding she would ignore him from now on she waved her cup at the bartender for a second round.

"That's some strong stuff you're drinking, I hope you at least can hold your liquor" he mocked her "If you're going to stay here much longer; I'm going to need a lot more drinks then this" her anger instantly made her forget the decision of ignoring him. _"Geez, why does he make me so angry?" _her anger turned into irritation and she took a bite of her bread. Zoro was almost intrigued by her. At first she seemed cold and even a bit dangerous but on the way to the village and at the tavern she completely changed. She jumped from emotion to emotion, and it seemed she didn't know how to deal with him. _"She's the strangest and most troublesome woman I have ever met"_ the bottom of his second drink was in sight and he raised his hand for his third. Alexis did the same; she still had two hours to go before she could leave so she decided to make the best out of it.  
Zoro however had no transport away from here so he had nothing better to do. He would probably try to hitch a ride on someone's ship later.

Alexis was glad he was the silent type, although the awkward silence was getting on her nerves."Why are you sitting here?" she finally asked "Just curious about the woman that stole my target" Alexis raised an eyebrow "and is your curiosity satiated?" she was still impressed by his looks, but the way he acted annoyed her to the bone. Zoro leaned back and grinned "Actually no, I find you highly amusing" he took the opportunity to take a good look at her and he did like what he saw. He might be a skilled and disciplined swordsman, but he is also a man. He met the occasional woman on his travels as a bounty hunter, but the last one has been a while.

The moment he called her amusing her anger flared again "I'm not trying to be amusing, or do you want to go outside and see how amusing I really am?" the words flew out of her mouth before she knew it. What was she thinking? The first time she saw him she knew she couldn't beat him. "_Why am I threatening Roronoa Zoro?_" she blamed the alcohol since drink number four was already on the table. Zoro expected such a response; he was deliberately trying to flare her anger. "Your temper sure fits your hair colour, are you sure about that threat?" she sighed and ruffled her hair "that would be suicide" was her honest answer. She wouldn't mind sparring with him some day though. "To bad, I would like some fun" drink number five entered the table; while Zoro seemed perfectly fine Alexis's mind already was a little clouded. "_I'm not good at this. Good at what exactly? What game are we playing here?_" relieved Alexis noticed it was about time to leave. After she stood up she threw some money on the table "Well, it was nice to meet Mr Zoro, I hope you have a pleasant evening" With those words she left the tavern, Zoro never heard so much sarcasm in someone's voice.


	2. Chapter 2

_I know this looks like they will fall in love already, but they wont. I plan on making it a lust thing untill they actually meet again in the original One Piece story.  
_

_About the Jolly roger of the crow pirates, I'm still designing it myself, when it's done a detailed description will be added. Any critics welcome! Oh and ofcourse the pointing out of spell/grammar mistakes also.  
_

_I do not own anything from the One Piece universe, I do own Alexis scarlet Though_

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_Recap,  
_

_She wouldn't mind sparring with him some day though. "To bad, I would like some fun" drink number five entered the table; while Zoro seemed perfectly fine Alexis's mind already was a little clouded. "I'm not good at this. Good at what exactly? What game are we playing here?" relieved Alexis noticed it was about time to leave. After she stood up she threw some money on the table "Well, it was nice to meet Mr Zoro, I hope you have a pleasant evening" With those words she left the tavern, Zoro never heard so much sarcasm in someone's voice._

* * *

Outside, the streets were empty, beside the visitors at the tavern, the village was sound asleep. Frustrated, Alexis kicked against a small rock _"What the hell happened in there? I know I have a temper but this was ridicules"_ with her eyes she followed the trail of the rock until it stopped against a couple of shoes. She looked up to find herself face to face with, what it seemed a band of pirates. "What!?" she sneered, their appearance only worsened her already terrible mood. "Scarlet Alexis, am I right?" a middle aged pirate with long messy brown hair took a step closer. "And what if I am?" her hands were already on the hilts of her katana's, which were dangling from her waist. "You know what's funny? We found our captain sliced up in the forest to the south of here, and both you and Roronoa Zoro are here, what do you think of that?" Alexis shrugged "Coincidence?" her answer made the tension rise between them, Alexis could already feel the adrenaline building up. Her muscles tensed and her senses heightened.

"Coincidence? We don't think so" the browned hair man pulled out two scimitars, his crewmates followed his example, the sound of unsheathing weapons filled the nightly silence. "So you figured it all out by yourselves? Amazing! Nothing goes past you huh?"

She dropped her sarcasm at precisely the right moment.

_The man with the scimitar charged, Alexis dodged and started her dance of death._

_Dodge…slice…duck…stab, she did it so many times she could dream the paces. Vaguely she noticed the man with the scimitars going down. Others joined, tried to join her dance and she grinned, this was her world, unwanted guests would be obliterated. _

_Twirl…Jump…slice, an upper arm came in her path, and the screams of the owner served as her music as she kept dancing her deadly dance. The smell of blood finally filled the air and she inhaled it deeply, this was the smell she lived for, she danced for. _

_All of the sudden a new presence joined the dance floor, it instantly synchronised with her dance. The presence was entering her world, fitting into it without trouble. It danced her dance, improved it and finished it faster then she could ever dream of._

Amazed Alexis lowered her katana's "You're really something" she said without thinking.

Zoro sheeted his katana's "You shouldn't be talking" he replied. Zoro looked around; the eight slaughtered pirates were scattered all over the street, in front of his feet laid the arm Alexis cut of. Alexis was slightly out of breath, the adrenaline and smell of blood still controlled her common sense. She looked at Zoro and in her current state she was overwhelmed by his masculinity, no one of her crewmates could ever come close to this kind of manliness. He wasn't even out of breath a little; he was just standing there in between the corpses, enjoying the scene just as much as she did. Alexis shook her head to try and gain control of her common sense again. She never felt lust and desire burn as hard as it did this moment, it scared her. The way he entered her world and took the lead in her dance made her legs shake. She took a deep breath "Well, that was interesting" it was a random remark made to break the tension that was hanging in between them.

Zoro looked at her _"The annoyed, irritated and easily angered woman turned into a killing machine right in front of my eyes" _He followed her outside the tavern just to ask her if she had transport away from here, he wanted to hitch a ride. He had a feeling the question would anger her, but he still wanted to give it a try. When the pirates ganged up on her he wanted to meddle right away, but something stopped him. He just stood there and watched the battle commence. The way she let herself get taken over by the battle amazed him; she was like a red hurricane slicing through everything in her path. Her true nature revealed itself in this battle, and he liked it. After a while he couldn't resist his own battle instincts anymore and joined the fight.

Lights suddenly turned on in two houses and they could here the people shout "Let's get out of here" Alexis made a run for the harbour without caring if he actually followed her. Somehow she managed to escape soundly, and arrived at the harbour without trouble. It was a small harbour with only two piers; faintly glowing lanterns were trying to light the piers up a bit. Her ship wasn't here yet "Damn, they're late" footsteps behind her made her adrenaline flow again "Who is it now?!" she snarled. Zoro came out of the shadows "Oi, take it easy!" he snarled back.

Alexis calmed down a bit "Why did you follow me?" she demanded "I only wanted to know if I could get a ride to Caluna Island? I even want to work or pay for the trip" Still trying to shake of the feeling of the battle Alexis narrowed her eyes "And what are you going to do there?" Zoro saw right through her "You know what I'm going to do there" a small ship entered the harbour and Alexis smiled "eighteen million Beli, are you ready for the challenge? I'll take you there but once we're on land we'll be fighting for ourselves. Oh, and I will let you work on the ship" her smile turned into an entertained smirk.

The moment the ship docked, Zoro accepted the challenge _"This could get interesting, and troublesome…" _he followed Alexis and entered the ship.

"Alexis! Sorry we're late" a tall and broad man in his twenties greeted them. He had long blond hair accompanied by blue eyes. A vertical scar covered his right cheek; he kept his long hair tied together at the back of his neck "No worries, its fine. We have a visitor Olav" Alexis took a step aside as to reveal Zoro, but because of her height Olav already noticed "You've done a lot of crazy stuff, but taking the pirate hunter with you?" Alexis had the silly hope that Olav wouldn't recognize him "I am taking him with me, and I wasn't asking for your opinion" Olav roared with laughter "That's our Alexis!" without accepting any comments she walked towards a door on deck "I'm getting freshened up, tell Gustav to set sail for Caluna Island. And put that idiot to work" she commanded. Olav gave her a mocking salute "yes ma'am!"

Zoro took a look around the small ship; it had a white sail carrying the jolly roger of the crow pirates. Beside from Olav he knew there was a man named Gustav around but he hadn't seen him yet. He guessed the door Alexis disappeared into held the cabins and maybe a kitchen. He didn't get much time to inspect his surroundings as Olav asked him to move a couple of barrels from the deck.

After she freshened up Alexis took a seat behind the desk in her cabin and was inspecting some papers. She took a wanted poster and studied it "Wanted dead or Alive, Valkov Vladimir, eighteen million Beli" Valkov Vladimir was the captain of the Rum Pirates, and also the brother of Olav and Gustav.

Alexis knew they were triplets; all of them had blond hair and clear blue eyes, only Vladimir was a savage. He didn't care about civilians, kids or women he couldn't care less, when they got in his way he killed them. Rumours were going around that he raped and killed a marine's daughter, which gave him the eighteen million bounty. For East Blue standards it was considered a high bounty, and Alexis knew this was not going to be easy. _"I wonder if he has a devil's fruit power" _she pondered_. _Devil fruit is a mystical fruit found in this world that can give the eater many different and varying kinds of strange and interesting abilities depending on the type and variation of the fruit itself. Alexis stretched her limbs _"Geez, I'm exhausted I should take a few hours rest, it'll take two full days to reach Caluna Island anyway" _

Outside, the night turned into a calm morning, the sun was rising and the world seemed to wake up again. A delivery bird dropped a newspaper in the hands of Gustav and he opened it. Gustav looked exactly the same as Olav did; only he missed the scar on his right check. He smiled and looked at Zoro who was taking a break sitting down, and relaxing with his back against the rail of the ship. "It seems you and Alexis caused quite the stir at Seaside Island" He showed him the article which explained in details the happenings on the island. Zoro shrugged and didn't really care. "Vladimir must know we are getting closer by now" Zoro lazily opened one eye "I must ask, are you and Olav related to Vladimir? The guy looks exactly like you"

Gustav's mood dropped all of the sudden "Yeah, we're triplets, but we don't agree with his way of life, although we're all pirates, he just has a different kind of perspective of being a pirate" Gustav turned his back on Zoro "Don't know why I'm telling you this though, as long the pirate has a bounty you don't care about his way of life, right?" Zoro yawned bored "Sure, if that's your opinion about me" he did not care about his fellow travellers perspective, as long as he reached his destination its fine.

After a few hours of sleep Alexis woke up and she felt a lot better _"I feel like myself again"_ she stretched herself and enjoyed the silence that surrounded here. Her thoughts travelled back to the happenings at Seaside Island. The way she felt after the battle with the pirates seemed like a bad memory _"I usually feel aroused after a battle, but the lust I felt last night was different"_ she already figured out he distracted her, but why? She had no feelings for him whatsoever; she never had feelings for anyone. As she remembered his looks and body she figured it was pure physical attraction, nothing more, nothing less.

She wondered if he felt the same tension last night, is was impossible to read him so the only way to find out was ask him directly _"And hell no, I'm not going to ask him"_

She got up and dressed herself, for convenience she braided her hair; the wind could get rough at sea.

Olav was relaxing on the deck when Alexis entered "Has my red vixen slept well?" he asked teasingly "Like a baby" she replied dryly. Alexis scanned the deck but did not see Gustav or Zoro. "They're up there" Olav said, knowing exactly who she was looking for. Next to the door that led to the cabins there was a small stairs leading to an upper part of the deck. Gustav leaned against the railing there and waved at her "Good morning!" he shouted. Alexis waved back at him and turned her attention to Olav again "Breakfast maybe?" Olav saluted in his familiar mocking way "Coming up"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 done! Any critics welcome ofcourse.

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_Olav was relaxing on the deck when Alexis entered "Has my red vixen slept well?" He asked teasingly "Like a baby," she replied dryly. Alexis scanned the deck but did not see Gustav and Zoro. "They're up there," Olav said, knowing exactly who she was looking for. Next to the door that led to the cabins there was a small stair leading to an upper part of the deck. Gustav leaned against the railing there, and waved at her "Good morning!" He shouted. Alexis waved back at him and turned her attention to Olav again "Breakfast maybe?" Olav saluted in his familiar mocking way "Coming up."_

* * *

"Oi Gustav! Get your lazy ass down here and help me with breakfast!"

"You're going to join us for breakfast?" Gustav asked Zoro "If that means I have to deal with Miss Moodswing over there, I'd rather not" he replied without even opening his eyes. Climbing the stairs Alexis cleared her throat "I heard that" Gustav roared with laughter after hearing her new nickname "wait till Olav hears about this" Gustav teasingly pulled her braid and climbed the stairs down.

She couldn't help but smile, Olav and Gustav were the only crewmates she actually liked they were like big brothers to her. And with big she really meant big because they both stood seven feet tall. She was actually a little worried because Vladimir was probably just as tall, she already felt like an ant compared to the two brothers.

The morning sun filled the upper part of the deck and she sniffed up the fresh morning air, she loved these moments. She picked a spot to sit far away from Zoro and closed her eyes. When she travels she tries to do this every morning, she called it her anger management, and God knows she needed it. The morning sun was warming her up and she felt the tension leaving her body.

Zoro was pondering about the fact why she was hunting pirates, he knew the Crows also were mercenaries; did someone hire them to collect the bounties?

"Why are you hunting pirates?" he bluntly asked out of the blue. The sound of his voice immediately made the tension in her body return. She bit her lip, thinking about a satisfying answer without letting him know to much "Just a little side project of my own"

Zoro figured that was all she was ever going to tell him about it. Closing her eyes she tried to find the same peaceful feeling again but did not succeed. His voice reminded her of last night, and especially the aftermath of the battle. _"I wonder what would've happened if I jumped him back there" _the thought alone made a blush creep up her face_ "What am I thinking?"_

Muttering something annoyed under her breath she hastily got up and fled away from Zoro.

She rushed past Olav who came to tell them breakfast was ready. Olav had a confused expression on his face "What wrong with her?" Zoro got up "If I knew I would gladly tell you" he answered just as confused as Olav was.

On entering the kitchen Gustav greeted her with her newly found nickname "Ah Miss Moodswing, care to join us for breakfast?" Alexis suppressed the urge to punch him and dropped down on a chair "Are we there yet?" She drawled kind of childish.  
"What's the matter? You're stranger than usual," Gustav sat down opposite of her. "Nothing, everything's peachy," she mumbled.  
Olav and Zoro also entered the kitchen; Olav took a seat next to his brother, which only left the spot next to Alexis for Zoro.

There were warm buns on the table and of course sandwich filling, Alexis was surprised to see there was even fresh milk. "Did you guys pick up some supplies while I was on Seaside Island?" Gustav nodded while chewing away his bun.

While eating Zoro noticed that every time his elbow touched Alexis, she jumped a little. A bit amused by this he started doing it on purpose. After a while Alexis couldn't take it any longer; "Would you mind!" Zoro expected the sneer and grinned. Gustav and Olav exchanged a meaningful look. "I'm full," she growled angrily and left the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

"It seems our red vixen is having one of her moods again," Olav looked at Zoro and smiled "And you're the main reason apparently." Zoro shrugged "I have no idea what's wrong with her."

The rest of the day passed without any notable happenings and the evening fell peacefully.

When the sun was set Alexis decided it was time to practice a new technique. She has been practicing a new finishing move for a while but it was still too sloppy.  
The upper deck was her usual practice spot. She pulled out her katanas, the hilts melted into her hands instantly.  
She closed her eyes and focused, her heartbeat and breathing slowed down. Alexis was one with her surroundings, in this mode nothing could get past her.  
She put her left foot in front of her. "Petal Dance" she whispered. She took off, twirling around her Axis, every slice as deadly as the other.  
When she meant to do the most deadly slice of them all she messed up. Her feet were not in the place she expected, she stumbled, tried to regain her balance but still fell.  
"Son of a bitch!" She picked herself up and threw her katanas on the floor; "never mind!" Angry about her failure she picked up her katanas and bit her lip; _"what am I doing wrong?" _

"Your feet, they're not in the right position." Alexis was so startled, she almost dropped her katanas again. How the hell did she not notice zoro's presence? Zoro stepped onto the upper deck "I can show you," he positioned himself behind her and meant to grab her wrists; Alexis immediately twirled away from his arms.  
Zoro rolled his eyes "I'm just trying to help, I feel like a rapist around you." Alexis took a deep breath, she had to learn that move. "Fine, show me." Again, Zoro positioned himself behind her and grabbed her wrists. "At the end of the move you got into trouble with the position of your feet," he muttered behind her, "It's a great move, but it still needs perfection, now close your eyes and focus." Alexis closed her eyes and slipped into concentration again.

He was so close to her that Alexis could smell him. He had a musky manly scent mixed with the smell of the sea. She could feel his muscular chest against her upper back. He put his foot on the floor between her legs and shoved her left foot a little to the side. After that he tapped her right heel; indicating that she should move her other foot to the front.  
He took the liberty of repositioning her arms, when his rough hands moved on her skin, she almost jumped away again. "Focus!" he growled "Now… keep your body like this." he let her go and took a few steps back. "Try it again."

"Petal dance," she flew of again, immediately noticing a difference. With folded arms he watched her twirl and slice. He couldn't say that little moment has not fazed him at all. With gritted teeth he managed to suppress his arousal. Although it has been a while, he couldn't even imagine how troublesome it would be, if he tried to hit the sack with her.

Alexis finished her move without trouble. Zoro applauded dryly "Good job."

"Why thank you Mr Zoro." She bowed mockingly, trying to hide the fact she was a little flustered. "I think Olav and Gustav are willing to share some of their rum with you." Zoro thought that was an excellent idea. Needless to say, but he could really use a drink right now. When Zoro left, Alexis sheeted her katanas. She needed a moment to calm down a little. Her hands were slightly shacking. She was relieved that, she survived the invasion of her personal space. Since she had guard duty the upcoming night, she decided to take a two hour nap.

Arrived at the kitchen, Zoro sat down at the table. Gustav poured rum in a mug and shoved it towards him. After thanking Gustav he took a big gulp.

"What are your plans on Caluna Island? You're going to take Vladimir down together with Alexis?" Olav asked. "She wants to make a contest out of it, so I guess not."

Olav and Gustav looked worried. Gustav stood up and grabbed something out of a drawer. He shoved it towards Zoro; it was a Ko Den-den Mushi. Den-den Mushi's were snails that can be used like a communication device. Zoro received a baby; those were used for shorter ranged communication. "Keep this with you. Although Alexis does not want us to go with her, we're going to keep in touch with her. With this thing you are able to hear our conversations and communicate with us."

"And why do you want me to have one?" Gustav sat down again, "because we are worried about her. Vladimir is not someone to be underestimated." Gustav held his mug so tight his knuckles turned white.

"Is there anything special I should know about him?"

Olav shrugged "We haven't seen him in years; I remember he used to be much stronger than the two of us, and euhm… he hates women."

Zoro frowned "Hates them?" he shoved his mug back to Gustav for a refill.

"Yes hates them," Olav continued, "not the 'Women should be in the kitchen' kind of hate. Real, pure hate, we didn't exactly have a loving mother."

"And that fucked him up lovely" Gustav added. "So you've decided to send your female crewmate to take care of your, womenhating, monster of a brother." Zoro was not really fitting the pieces. "We know how this sounds," Olav did not like the fact that Zoro said it out loud "We want to go with her, but she…"

"She told us that; no one should be given the task to kill his own brother," Gustav blurted out.

"And considering her circumstances, well… It's just that; we have to respect this decision of hers." Olav finished.

"So we beg you, please keep an eye on her" Gustav almost pleaded.

Zoro thought about it for a moment "Fine, but we'll split the bounty." Gustav grinned happily "Sure, just don't tell her."

"I wouldn't dare" he stated, thinking about the anger explosion it would cause. Zoro wondered about those circumstances they were talking about.

The two brothers quickly changed the subject to something more entertaining; giving Zoro less time to think about the whole conversation.

After about two hours they heard the sound of a door closing; "that's probably Alexis starting her guard duty." Gustav stood up, "We want to relieve her of guard duty early tomorrow. She needs the rest." After wishing Zoro goodnight they both left the kitchen.

He wanted to have some fresh air, but that also meant dealing with Miss Moodswing.


End file.
